8 Bad Habits of Good Athletes

As an athlete and the one up logging miles at the crack of dawn and doggedly trekking through anything Mother Nature fancies, it is easy to start bending and breaking the habits that keep us healthy. Eat breakfast. Drink water. You have probably heard them time and time again and may even be finding yourself nodding your head now.

Old habits die hard, and good habits die easy. Neglecting some health-rule standbys when you are logging 50 miles a week and still feeling great may be easy to justify, but anyone in the fitness game will affirm that it will come back to haunt you.

Injury, fatigue, and plateaus plague everyone—but they don’t have to. Here are a few of the top mistakes we are making as runners, snowshoers, hikers, bikers, and the like–and the information you need to maximize your fitness life.

1. Refusing to Rest

You may feel like you are losing out on mileage or a decisive workout that could give you the edge over the competition during the hub of training season if you kick back one day a week. Remember, even Olympians have a day off. Our bodies require time to rebuild, and our minds need time to recharge. Inadequate rest can lead to overtraining syndrome and lagging workouts.

According to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign physical therapist Rex Clark, during rest time, the body adapts to the stress of exercise. Then, the “real training effect” occurs–damaged muscle tissue is repaired.

He suggests that athletes allow two rest days a week. If that sounds outlandish and you can hardly stomach one day without your sweat session, he recommends doing a lower-intensity exercise one day and then completely resting the other. Take one day a week to enjoy a trail ride on your bike or a long walk. Then, try to rest and let your fluids, muscles, and cells replenish.

Read More: Optimal Snowshoeing Recovery: Four Basic Components

man tying his shoe while on a run

Houston Franks, the head cross country coach at Mississippi State University, quickly pauses to tie his shoe during a trail jog. Light exercises like jogging or hiking are perfect for active recovery days. Photo: Lauren Steele

2. Attempting to Stay at the Peak

When climbing, the goal is to reach the top of the mountain—but once there, you don’t just sit down and hang out in the snow. What goes up must come down. It is hard to get into this mindset, but hitting your personal record every go-around is unrealistic. So why do we kill ourselves trying?

Tim Cary, head training coach at FLEET FEET St. Louis Running Company, urges you not to think in terms of a peak but efficiency if you want to be working out ten years from now.

“We need to remember that our goals are positioned down a long road and that we must travel the optimum distance daily to reach them,” Cary said. “When you are unsure about a planned workout or race, take a step back and ask yourself, ‘Is this maximum or optimum?’”

Having an off-season is essential to adapt to this off-season mindset and put it to good use. After your last planned race, let yourself go from 100 percent to about 60 percent fitness level for a few months. After a mental and physical letup, you can return to training next season more ready than ever—and faster.

Read More: Ask The Coach: Summer Training

3. Missing the 30 Minute Post-Workout Munch

It’s easy to neglect your granola bar or protein shake right after you finish toweling off, especially if you aren’t the type to be hungry after exercise. Most people stick to the story that you should only eat when hungry, which is a healthy outlook. However, exercise raises your body temperature and, in turn, suppresses your appetite. Although you may not think you need to nosh, you do.

According to Suzanne Eberle, a sports dietitian from Portland, we have “the carbohydrate window” between 15 to 30 minutes immediately following exercise. During this “window,” our body is primed to refill glycogen stores. Even though we may have stopped exercising, we still have an increased blood flow to our muscles, which makes them very sensitive to insulin.

When we eat carbohydrate-rich foods that break down into glucose, our body is primed to quickly move glucose into our cells, where it is stored as glycogen, giving your workouts the boost they need.

Read More: Registered Dietician Serves Up Nutrition Tips For Snowshoe Athletes

athlete habits: eat a snack- bananas

A banana can be a great post-workout snack or a snack to bring while on the trail. Photo: Pete Linforth from Pixabay

4. Skipping the Breakfast of Champions

The old mantra, “You have got to put fuel in the tank to make the engine run,” has not stood the test of time for no reason. If you try to speed out on your workout lacking proper fuel, you will suffer for the next 24 hours while your body replenishes the glycogen stores it needs to get you to the next activity. Skipping breakfast enables this vicious cycle of depletion and replenishment to wreak havoc and hold you back from really racing through your routine with your best foot forward.

According to Eberle, one habit is that many athletes don’t eat enough to “save” calories for later. “It’s kind of like backward planning,” Eberle stated. “I encourage people to kind of look at, ‘where is your workout today, what are you planning to do, how much time do you need, and what’s the latest you want to eat?’ Then, maximize the snacks and the meals earlier in the day.”

Read More: Nutrition For Winter Activities: A Beginner’s Guide

5. Forgetting to Whet Your Whistle in the Winter

Guzzling water when it’s 85 degrees in the summer is no problem for most of us. Surprisingly, though, our hydration needs are the same year-round. “Hydration never takes a holiday and is just as important whether it is 20 or 120 degrees outside,” Leslie Bonci, the director of sports nutrition at the UMPC Center for Sports Medicine, said. In a 2006 study, the Gatorade Sports Science Institute found that over 50 percent of recreational exercisers show up to their workouts dehydrated.

Dehydration can lead to a laundry list of hindrances to your workout, such as muscle cramps, fatigue, heart palpitations, and lightheadedness. Once dehydrated, your body cannot simply play catch up if you knock back a few glasses of H2O.

According to Bonci, women should get 90 ounces of fluid daily, while men should be getting 125 ounces per day. However, this doesn’t have to all come from water. “In the warmer months, we may prefer our fluid on ice or through juice fruit whereas, in the winter, we may opt for hot beverages and soups to help us meet our fluid needs,” Bonci stated.

Make fluids accessible to yourself at any time. Drink water before you feel thirsty, and ensure you drink enough. Carry that Camelback everywhere!

Read More: Ask The Coach: How To Stay Well Hydrated

water bottles on leaves

Keeping a reusable water bottle nearby always helps ensure adequate hydration. Using water bottles that measure liquids can keep you on track. Photo: Lauren Steele

6. Sticking to the Same Workouts

We all have our favorite routes, comfortable pace, and stock exercises. But after six weeks of the same routine, our muscles have figured it out and cannot be duped out of a plateau without a shock to the system.

“Our bodies welcome change,” Ron DeAngelo, the Director of Sports Performance at UPMC, said. “Training should be pleasurable and positive.”

Keeping yourself physically challenged may be a little intimidating at first—but as outdoor adventurers, isn’t that par for the course? Variety can help you stave off plateaus and keep the mental humdrum away.

Research from the University of Florida found that individuals who diversified their exercise every two weeks enjoyed their workouts more and were likelier to stick to it.

Varying your workout’s intensity and duration is the easiest way to mix it up and change your bad habits as an athlete. Adding an extra hill to a route or even going a mile off-trail makes a difference. Throw in a long and steady workout, and then try for a short and fast workout the next day. High-intensity intervals and rest periods switch things up enough to keep your muscles confused and your mind sharp.

Read More:  Building and Maintaining Endurance All Year Long for Snowshoeing

woman running up hill in summer

Meghan Turner, 24, of Columbia, Mo., tackles some bluffs during an off-trail run. Throwing a new workout or route into your routine is imperative for mental and physical gains. Photo: Lauren Steele

7. Cutting Calisthenics Out of Your Routine

When we say calisthenics, we’re referring to activities that don’t require gear—no ski poles, snowshoes, or helmets, just you and your weight. So why do we write them off as a nuisance in our pre-and post-workout routines?

Incorporating calisthenics such as lunges, calf raises, crunches, squats, planks, and pushups will up your strength, stamina, balance, and form. They will protect you against injuries and keep those underworked muscles in shape.

DeAngelo recommends that plyometric work, calisthenics, and strength training need to ensure total bodywork—so think three-dimensionally. “As 3-D beings, we need to do 3-D activities,” DeAngelo said. “This will keep you enduring over the long haul.” Keeping up with calisthenics will also help preserve the range of motion in joints so you can keep athletically adventuring pain-free years down the road.

Read More: 7 Exercises You Can Do To Support Your Snowshoeing

8. Relying on Your Revered Sport

Skiers want to ski, bikers want to bike, and runners want to run. Getting stuck in a rut with your activity of choice can lead to a lack of motivation, fitness plateaus, and overdevelopment of isolated muscles. Besides, no one wants to be a one-trick pony.

“Our bodies welcome change,” DeAngelo said. Cross-training doesn’t have to feel like cross-training. He recommends doing activities that mimic your favorites. If you are a downhill skier by heart, you are probably used to the short-duration and high-intensity nature. Mountain biking is also a short-duration and high-intensity activity that can take you through spring and summer.

Introducing your body to unfamiliar workouts will promote active recovery, balanced muscles, and mental rejuvenation—not to mention the possibility of falling in love with a new sport.

Read More: Snowshoe Training Without Snow

two people cross country skiing

If you’re usually a snowshoer, why not change it up and go cross-country skiing? Photo: NickyPe from Pixabay

So, this snowshoe season, spring into new habits that can leave you happier and healthier than ever—and ready to tackle what’s next like never before.

This article was originally published on May 21, 2013, and was updated on November 11, 2019, with new information and photographs. The most recent update was September 14, 2023.

Read Next: Hidden Secrets! Preparing For A Snowshoe Distance Event

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